Olympian, business executives among new Sweet Briar Board of Directors members

Sweet Briar House


The Sweet Briar College Board of Directors inducted three new members at its meeting in April: Sweet Briar alumna and Olympian Lendon Gray ’71, former business executive Scheline Crutchfield and CEO and investor Stephen Smiley.

“Lendon, Scheline and Stephen bring a fantastic mix of experience in finance, arts and sports to Sweet Briar,” said Chair of the Board Georgene Vairo ’72. “I’m thrilled to welcome them to our board of directors, and I look forward to working closely with them as we move the College’s mission forward.”


Scheline Crutchfield


A Virginia native, Scheline Crutchfield enjoyed more than 20 years in the financial services industry before pursuing her lifelong passion for art. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1986 with a B.A. in American government, she worked for Chemical Bank in New York in wealth management, commercial banking, the Office of the President and capital markets. She later joined the capital markets group of Nations Bank in Charlotte, N.C. Crutchfield returned to Virginia in 2003 to work for Wachovia Bank. She became the market president for Charlottesville and the surrounding area before moving to wealth management, where she served as regional director for Western Virginia. Crutchfield now combines her business and art skills as the owner of Sleepy Dog Studio. She’s a passionate community volunteer and has served on many boards, including the Charlottesville Free Clinic, Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development, Ash Lawn Opera, Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, Emily Couric Leadership Forum, Piedmont Virginia Community College Foundation and the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation.


Lendon Gray


Lendon Gray was in the Sweet Briar College Class of 1971, majoring in Greek and Latin. While at Sweet Briar, she was active in the riding program and taught riding there for 3 1/2 years after graduation. She later specialized in dressage, made two Olympic teams and represented the U.S. internationally for many years. For over 45 years, she ran successful training stables in Maine, New York and Florida and became active in the U.S. Dressage Federation, where she chaired many committees geared toward education, and was a founding examiner for instructor certification. She was on the board of directors of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the U.S. Pony Clubs and is now on the board of the USA Equestrian Trust, is secretary of The Dressage Foundation’s Board and president of Dressage4kids Inc., an organization she started 22 years ago, and which is now recognized internationally as a top program for educating young people in dressage. Gray has been inducted into Sweet Briar’s Athletics Hall of Fame, the Maine Sports Hall of Hall and the U.S. Dressage Federation Hall of Fame, was honored as the American Riding Instructor Association Master Instructor, a USPC Legend and an EquineAffaire Exceptional Equine Educator, and received a Pony Club Master Achievement Award.


Steve Smiley


Stephen P. Smiley is the managing partner of Madison Lane Partners LLC, a private advisory firm in Dallas, Texas. Smiley was a member of the board of directors of, and an advisor to, Signature Family Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisor, from 2009 to 2018. Headquartered in Norfolk, Signature serves high net-worth families and manages in excess of $4 billion. From 1996 to 2010, Smiley was president of Hunt Private Equity Group Inc. Prior to joining Hunt, Smiley was president of Cypress Capital Corporation, a private equity firm he co-founded in 1991. Smiley started his professional career working for Citicorp/Citigroup for 15 years in New York and Dallas in various corporate lending and private equity capacities. He is the former chairman of the board of managers of the Alumni Association at the University of Virginia and a member of the board of directors of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation and the university’s Arts Council. He is also on the board of trustees of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas. Smiley graduated from UVa in 1971 with a B.A. in English literature. Following college, Smiley served as a weapons officer in the U.S. Navy aboard a guided missile cruiser. He received an MBA from the College of William & Mary in 1976.